Queen Visenya stood frozen in shock. The courtiers in the hall shared the same stunned reaction.
Rhaenys was a picture of joy and disbelief, both hands clamped over her mouth, as if the sudden wave of happiness had swept her into a dream.
Cradled in Aegon's arms, Aenys blinked wide-eyed, glancing around in confusion, clearly unaware of what had just happened.
Visenya, after a moment of stunned silence, spoke with a voice that trembled with unwillingness. "Why? Why such a sudden decision?"
"I've already told you the reason," Aegon replied calmly.
Visenya's eyes turned red, her brows furrowed deeply. She shook her head as she took a step back. "Why not give Maegor a fair chance? He was born to be king—why is he denied even the opportunity to be heir? I just want fairness... let little Maegor compete... let him strive... let him fight... why..."
She collapsed to the floor, her expression shattered as she stared blankly at the ground.
Aegon's heart softened and he started to reach out to help her up, but he stopped as the movement among the ministers in the hall caught his eye.
One by one, the great lords of House Targaryen and the senior members of the royal court dropped to one knee before the king. Only a dozen or so lords remained standing, but the majority of the high-ranking ministers had knelt.
"What are you all doing?" Aegon was visibly taken aback. He pointed at the kneeling ministers and demanded, "I appointed the eldest son as heir, following the traditions of Westeros. How dare you oppose me? Don't you think this is absurd?"
The ministers and lords remained silent, heads bowed. A few of them cast furtive glances toward Queen Visenya.
She crawled across the floor to Aegon's feet, then knelt and looked up at him with sorrow. "Please, Your Grace—give Maegor a fair chance!"
Aegon's expression softened. It was the first time he'd seen his sister plead with him in such a humble manner. But when he glanced at the ministers kneeling behind her, his thoughts churned.
"Damn it... am I being forced into abdication?"
He scanned the hall nervously, half-expecting a squad of executioners to spring out from the shadows...
Fortunately, it seemed his sister was only making a plea.
He steadied himself, forced back the surge of emotion, and with a sweep of his royal sleeve, stared down at the gathered ministers and declared, "From this day forward, Queen Visenya shall no longer take part in the affairs of the realm!"
Visenya bowed her head in despair and closed her eyes. She had never imagined that all the favors and connections she'd spent persuading the Targaryen ministers would amount to nothing.
"Aegon! You're so cruel to Maegor!"
The high ministers had remained silent the whole time. It was clear that their relationship with Visenya had already pushed them to the brink of disloyalty.
When Aegon saw that none of the senior ministers opposed his decree, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least he hadn't lost total control of the court. He was still the Conqueror.
He continued, "Even so, I will not dismiss Visenya's request entirely.
If she seeks fairness—an opportunity—then I will grant it.
All ministers below the rank of lord, leave the hall. I will now hold a royal council to discuss the matter of the heir."
"Your Grace is wise," the ministers echoed in unison.
They, too, let out sighs of relief. If Visenya had clashed outright with the king, those who supported her might well have faced dire consequences.
Everyone knew the Conqueror did not hesitate to punish traitors harshly. Who among them dared risk a punishment as severe as the extermination of nine generations?
The lesser nobles and junior ministers filed out. Soon, only the members of the Small Council, the dukes, and the two queens remained.
"What are you still doing on the ground? Get up," Aegon said, glancing down at Visenya before turning and returning to his throne at the far end of the hall.
Visenya rose to her feet. Her expression was a tangle of emotions, but a trace of hope lingered as she looked toward Aegon.
One by one, the ministers stood. Those who had not earlier knelt to plead for Maegor—two lords and several Small Council members—now stepped forward to join the discussion.
Rhaenys saw that the decision about the heir—once seemingly settled—was once again up in the air. Her face paled instantly.
She moved to block the approaching ministers, stopping them from reaching Aegon, and protested furiously, "Why can't Aenys be the heir?
How could Maegor possibly be a natural-born king?
Aenys is the one—he's the rightful eldest son!"
"Queen Rhaenys, let's hear what His Grace has to say first," said Hand of the King Torrhen, one of the ministers who hadn't knelt earlier. "In truth, I also support the eldest son."
The other Small Council members and Visenya said nothing. They simply watched Rhaenys quietly.
Rhaenys turned to Aegon. He gave a slight nod and beckoned them forward. Reluctantly, Rhaenys stepped aside, and the ministers gathered before the throne. The attendants quickly brought out chairs, and the two queens and the ministers sat in a circle before the dais.
Aegon began, "I have decided to name Aenys as heir for several reasons. First, he is the eldest son of the kingdom. Second, Maegor..."
Visenya suddenly coughed harshly, cutting him off.
She rubbed her throat, her expression blank as she stared at the floor.
Aegon sighed. "In short, those are the two reasons."
Now that most of the kingdom's senior ministers—and Queen Visenya herself—wish to give Maegor a fair chance, I will grant your request.
The Targaryen dynasty has now completely unified the continent of Westeros. Once we've had time to rest and recover, our next target will be the Nine Free Cities of Essos.
When the two princes come of age, they will divide their forces and march on the cities of Essos. Whichever one conquers more territory will be crowned king.
That should settle the matter, shouldn't it?"
The Small Council murmured among themselves, while Visenya's face lit up with satisfaction. With her support, she believed she could help Maegor seize the position of crown prince.
Rhaenys clutched her sleeves tightly, casting an anxious glance at Aenys.
Aegon continued, "Since Aenys is the eldest son, the Targaryen dynasty's resources should lean more in his favor. That is true fairness. What say you?"
"Yes, Your Grace." The Small Council voiced no objections.
Aegon looked at his two wives and said sincerely, "I am only twenty-five—still in my prime.
Originally, I had no intention of naming a crown prince so early. But now, with a queen and two princes, it's in the best interest of the royal family—and of House Targaryen as a whole—to settle the succession early, before infighting and power struggles can take root.
There may be short-term discomfort.
But once hierarchy is firmly established, it will be far less likely for Aenys and Maegor to clash in the future.
That was my intention from the start."
Rhaenys, seeing Aegon speak so earnestly, had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Visenya also nodded. Her son was the second-born, and the very chance to compete was already a rare and precious opportunity.
Aegon waved his hand, signaling the Small Council and Rhaenys to withdraw. In a matter of moments, only Aegon and Visenya remained in the hall.
Aegon stepped forward and gently cupped Visenya's cheek in his hand.
Her features were striking—like a fierce Valkyrie—and after childbirth, a new layer of maternal allure had emerged, giving her a powerful, dignified charm that only deepened Aegon's affection for her.
"Don't act so recklessly again. If I were a tyrant, you and all those who pled for Maegor today wouldn't have escaped unscathed." Aegon lowered his gaze slightly, eyes softening as he looked into her flawless face and spoke in a low voice.
"Mm." Visenya gave a soft reply, looking up at her husband with deep affection. Then she slowly extended her tongue, trying to please her beloved.
Aegon leaned in and gave her a slow, lingering kiss, then said, "Maegor's fertility is a serious issue. If he manages to become crown prince, you must ensure he adopts at least one of his brothers' sons.
Remember this—if the king leaves no heir, House Targaryen will once again descend into chaos."
"I promise you, my king," Visenya replied.
With that, she rose and pushed Aegon against the nearby pillar.
Today, Visenya had made up her mind—she would finally make it up to her husband. Things she'd once refused no longer seemed impossible...
...
After the turmoil over the crown prince settled, peace returned to the Targaryen dynasty.
Though an heir had not been officially named, the tense atmosphere within the royal household had faded. When the two queens met, they no longer clashed as bitterly or refused to yield as they once had.
Queen Visenya had been barred from attending Small Council meetings, and Aegon—due to his indulgent and carefree lifestyle—rarely participated either. As a result, the responsibility of presiding over the council fell to Hand of the King Torrhen.
However, this did not mean the royal family had relinquished control over the governance of the realm.
Aegon ordered that every decision made by the Small Council be recorded in a ledger and submitted to him for review. Only after it bore the official seal of House Targaryen would the decision take effect.
In this way, even without personally attending, Aegon still maintained firm control over the kingdom's authority.
The council's powers remained unchanged—they held the right to advise, but not to decide.
This system ran smoothly for several months.
During that time, the attendants would deliver the council's recommendations daily to the inner court for the king's approval. But eventually, the ministers noticed something odd: the handwriting on the approvals was no longer Aegon's—it had quietly become Queen Visenya's.
From that moment, the senior officials in court realized that it was still Queen Visenya handling matters within the inner court.
They came to understand that Visenya held an irreplaceable position in Aegon's heart and remained a pivotal figure in the governance of the realm.
Aegon himself was full of resignation. He had no desire to be bogged down by daily governance and exhaustion. He far preferred dalliances and indulging his curiosity in new and unusual pursuits.
But reality was far from his ideals. In the end, he had no choice but to contradict himself and quietly reinstate his sister Visenya within the inner court.
"She's no longer attending the Small Council. She shouldn't be able to rally supporters within court anymore..." Aegon comforted himself with this thought.
Still, he wasn't completely off guard—he had made preparations for any extreme measures Visenya might take.
At this point, construction of the Red Keep was nearing completion, and the Sword Tower was finished. This tower would serve as the barracks for the Red Keep's personal guard.
As the king's own soldiers, the guard was tasked with monitoring and defending every corner of the Red Keep.
Aegon was actively forming this permanent unit of personal guards.
But another question came to mind. While placing the guard in the outer court was acceptable, the inner court housed his queen, his lovers, and their families. Was it truly appropriate to station rough soldiers in such a place?
Could it lead to problems?
Aegon began to consider whether the Targaryen dynasty should introduce the role of eunuchs.
He had already written to his father, the Master of the Federation, asking him to help inquire into the training methods of the Unsullied. So far, however, there had been no reply from Aerion.
...
Time passed, and it was now the eleventh year of the Conquest.
The Targaryen dynasty had thrived during these two years of peace. The Kingsroad, built northward from Harrenhal, had—through the labor of tens of thousands of Dornish workers—been extended to near The Twins. The North was not far off.
During this time, there were dozens of uprisings among the Dornish laborers in the Crownlands, but each was swiftly and forcefully suppressed by the local lords.
The new legal studies faction at the Citadel launched a fresh project focused on managing unrest, particularly incidents involving the Dornish.
At just the right moment, Aegon proposed several ideas, leading to the emergence of a household registration system within the legalists' research.
With such a system, managing the realm's population became significantly easier.
Aegon also suggested a few refinements, and from this system emerged a "collective punishment" law.
Five households were grouped into a unit, ten households into a block. People were prohibited from relocating without permission and were required to monitor and report on one another. If anyone failed to report wrongdoing, the entire block would be punished together.
The legalist school's core ideology, "judicial supremacy," emphasized rule by law and governance through capable officials.
Every policy and law existed to serve the monarch.
The introduction of the household registration system thrilled the legalist Maesters, who felt the Targaryen dynasty had taken a great leap toward its ultimate goal of rule by law.
With the implementation of the household registration system, the challenge lay in how to carry it out effectively. Aegon ordered the Maesters of the Mathematics School to establish a Bureau of Statistics, marking the beginning of the first census in the Targaryen Crownlands. This also created the first opportunity for meaningful collaboration between the prominent schools of law and mathematics, allowing each to complement and enhance the other.
In the eleventh year after the Conquest, King Aegon embarked on his first nationwide royal progress. Fulfilling a promise to Queen Rhaenys, Aegon personally took charge of educating his eldest son, Aenys. At six years old, Aenys was ready to begin his formal instruction. Aegon brought him along on the journey, teaching him about policies, laws, and local customs, and even involving him in hunts to build his courage.
Aegon led the royal court from one castle to the next, visiting the great houses in turn. Gulltown, the Eyrie, Harrenhal, Riverrun, Lannisport, Ashford, Storm's End, Evenfall Hall, and many others had the honor of hosting the king multiple times. He didn't adhere to a fixed itinerary—whenever the mood struck, he would lead the royal procession, sometimes over a thousand strong with knights, lords, and noble ladies, to any destination he chose.
When questioned about his frequent travels, Aegon famously replied,
"The best way to deal with a rebellion is to nip it in the bud."
He firmly believed that if the disloyal lords saw him riding Balerion the Black Dread, flanked by hundreds of knights clad in shining silk armor, it would be enough to crush any rebellious ambitions.
King Aegon further added,
"The king and queen must also appear before the people from time to time, so that the common folk know they have a chance to air their grievances."
And he followed through on this principle.
Although nearly every progress involved feasts, balls, hunts, and falconry—with every lord striving to outshine the others in grandeur and hospitality—Aegon remained steadfast in holding court wherever he went, whether atop a great lord's castle dais or standing on a moss-covered stone slab in a farmer's field.
He was always accompanied by six Maesters, who explained local laws, customs, and histories, and documented the royal decrees and judgments issued along the way. During the journey, the Conqueror told his son Aenys,
"A lord must know the lands he rules."
Indeed, it was through these ceaseless travels that Aegon came to deeply understand the Seven Kingdoms and their people.
By the end of the eleventh year of the Conquest...
Aegon returned to the capital of King's Landing with Aenys and the traveling court. By then, the Sept of Seven Stars outside the Red Keep had been completed and awaited the king to officiate its opening ceremony.
Standing beside Aenys atop the walls of the Red Keep, Aegon pointed toward the towering spires of the Sept and smiled.
"Son, the next lesson your father will teach you is perhaps the most important of all—how to be a great actor!"
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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